Self-help guru shares secrets to success

Jack Canfield to deliver workshop in Cayman

Jack Canfield is in a limousine on his way to the Los Angeles airport to catch a flight to Japan when his assistant puts us through. He wants to talk about success, and this seems like a good pulpit to preach from.

The author and motivational speaker, who will be appearing at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman next month, believes there are a number of teachable principles that anyone can incorporate in their lives to help them be successful.

Mr. Canfield, famous for the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” self-help series, believes not enough focus is given in school, or in life, to the ingredients required to succeed.

“The problem with our education system is that no one teaches you about the principles of success. You learn about history, you learn about math, you learn science, but the principles of what makes people successful, you have to learn on your own or you never know them. Unfortunately, most people fall into the latter category.”

Part of his life’s purpose is to change that. Mr. Canfield, also the author of the “Principles of Success,” travels the world to share his theories with paying audiences, many of them businesspeople and entrepreneurs hungry for success.

The 65-year-old, who describes himself as “America’s number one success coach,” will run a day-long $495-a-head workshop at The Ritz-Carlton on June 8.

Mr. Canfield has interviewed 200 of the most successful people in the world, and believes he has unlocked some of their secrets and strategies.

“I wanted to find out what principles and the mind-set that they have and are these things teachable? The answer is yes,” he said.

Natural talent and training are important, he says, but he believes more focus should be given to teaching people the personal habits and strategies that help them make the most of their abilities.

“We all have natural talent,” he said. “Some have genius in more lucrative areas and sure, some people have more genius than others.”

But he says the right mind-set is more important to success. Successful people, he said, identify their life’s purpose or mission and take positive steps to get to where they want to be.

Successful people, he said, don’t make excuses, they take 100 percent responsibility for their own life, they set clear goals and stick to their plans as they work toward them. They are also action oriented and unafraid of asking for and receiving feedback, he said.

He also preaches about the value of meditating and positive thinking, techniques he says have worked for him, personally. The title for the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series came from a vision he says he had while meditating on that phrase being drawn on a green chalkboard.

Mr. Canfield, who started out as a high school history teacher, believes his theories, codified in his book, can be applied equally by anyone in any walk of life, from people who crave success in business to people who simply want to be better parents. He believes his own success is living proof that the strategies work.

“I live these principles, these are the things that helped me succeed,” he said.